December 2006

27th December 2006

12:00 AM — PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveLocating an LGBT Liaison Officer if you're a victim of a gay hate crime can be a "lottery," the Gay Police Association (GPA) has warned.The statement comes as police take further steps to encourage the community to report homophobic crimes.The current situation has prompted calls for major improvements to facilities.

12:00 AM — The American Green Party has expressed support for a motion to impeach US President George W Bush, citing illegal spying on groups and lies over the Iraq war.Democratic Representative put forward the proposal Cynthia McKinney's, echoing calls from the Green Party in 2003.

12:00 AM — A transsexual is calling on schools to raise better awareness of gender and sexuality issues after claiming she was subjected to two weeks of "urban terrorism."Hull based Rikki Arundel says a gang of 10 youths are repeatedly targeting her with rocks and mud as well as jibes such as "tranny."She says the culprits, who wore balaclavas and only stopped when more police took to the streets, also caused hundreds of pounds of damage to her home.

12:00 AM — Gay activist Louis-Georges Tin outlines the importance of a worldwide decriminalisation of homosexualityOn January 1st 2003, to start the new year in a gentle way, 3 young men were beheaded in Saudi Arabia. Why?They were presumed to be gay.

12:00 AM — Labour MEP Michael Cashman calls on the party to uphold its record on gay rights with the new Sexual Orientation Regulations.I am celebrating an anniversary, and not my own.I am in fact referring to the Civil Partnerships Act which came into force just over a year ago, permitting same-sex unions and providing entitlements equal to those of heterosexual couples.

12:00 AM — One political drama will dominate 2007 - the fight for the soul of the Labour party. With Gordon Brown almost certain to succeed Tony Blair, the contest for deputy leader is the one to watch.In an exclusive interview with The PinkNews, outsider candidate Jon Cruddas MP outlines his ambitious plans for reform of the Labour party. New New Labour, in fact.

12:00 AM — January's The Pink News celebrates a good month for combating homophobic incitement with the conviction of Tory councillor Peter Willows and the Advertising Standard Authority's investigation into an anti-gay Christian ad.There is also an exclusive interview with Labour deputy leadership contender Jon Cruddas.Download a pdf version of the magazine by clicking here.

12:00 AM — An American Football player has been fined for using homophobic language.Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter has been given a $10,000 fine by the National Football League, for using an anti-gay language to describe Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow, following a game between the two teams earlier this month.

12:00 AM — Jeremy Clarkson has hit out at the BBC after he was reprimanded for describing a car as gay.The Top Gear presenter picked up a remark from an audience that a certain car was "gay", the presenter then backed it up by saying, "a bit gay, yes very ginger beer" which is cockney rhyming slang for queer.

12:00 AM — The majority of New Hampshire is against same-sex marriage, according to a recent poll conducted by Research 2000 for the Concord Monitor.Out of the six hundred people polled, fifty-five percent said they were against gays marrying, while thirty-five percent were for it, and ten percent were not certain how they felt about it.

12:00 AM — Welsh Liberal Democrats have narrowly avoided yet another political sex scandal after the Swansea party's website began linking to gay dating sites and porn.Visitors to the website were expecting information about councillors and events but immediately complained to the Ombudsman after instead being offered "casual dating and sex."

12:00 AM — A new name has emerged as the possible key to what went on at gay star Michael Barrymore's home after an inquiry into the death of Stuart Lubbock was reopened.Lubbock, 31, was found dead in the swimming pool of the openly gay television personality in March 2001 after a drug fuelled party.During the inquest that followed, an open verdict was reached and to date no-one has been charged in connection with Mr Lubbock's death.

12:00 AM — Radio DJ Chris Moyles looks to be trying to shake off his Bully of the Year award after turning up to the BBC station's Christmas party dressed as Little Britain's Daffyd.The presenter, who has repeatedly offended the gay community over the last year, turned up dressed as the only gay in the vilalage character made famous by gay comedian Matt Lucas.

12:00 AM — The Liberal Democrat spokesperson on equality has backed gay activist's criticism of the government for cutting funds for teaching about LGBT history.Lorely Burt accused the Department for Education and Skills of promoting LGBT rights as "secondary" after it was revealed that the government department had cut tens of thousands of pounds of funding for LGBT History Month.

25th December 2006

12:00 AM — Festive greetings from all at PinkNews.co.uk, The Pink News and our publishing partners 3Sixty.The team being a mixed bunch of sexualities, genders and religions, we know that everyone spends this time of year in a different way.For Christan readers we wish a Merry Christmas and wish for the New Year to dawn a new age within all the church's many denominations.

24th December 2006

12:00 AM — "Hallelujah!" squeals the Daily Mail on the news that Joe and Helen Roberts are to receive £10,000 compensation and costs after an 80 minute interview by police resulting from comments they made about gay rights and civil partnerships.The couple who claim to be Christian told a council worker that they found the civil partnership literature displayed in public libraries in Lancashire "discriminativly offensive [sic]."

23rd December 2006

12:00 AM — A retired couple have won out of court damages after being questioned by police regarding their views on homosexuality.Devout Christians, Joe Roberts 73, and his wife Helen, 68, of Fleetwood, Lancashire, wrote to Wyre Borough Council accusing them of "pandering" to minority groups by distributing leaflets about homosexuality in their buildings.

22nd December 2006

12:00 AM — EastEnder Pauline Fowler has had to deal with more issues than most mothers, first her teenage daughter is impregnated by the local gangster, then her eldest son dies from AIDS, and to top that off her daughter in law leaves her youngest son to become a lesbian only to later change her mind.But the battleaxe will be laid to rest this Christmas as Wendy Richard leaves the show ending a 22 year stint.

12:00 AM — The Pope used his Christmas address today to launch yet another attack on gay marriage.The pontiff, speaking to delegates in Rome, described legal recognition for unmarried couples and gay partners as "dismal."Referring to gay marriage, Pope Benedict said: "This tacitly accredits those dismal theories that strip all relevance from the masculinity and femininity of the human being as though it were a purely biological issue."

PinkNews covers religion, politics, entertainment, finance, and community news for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in the UK and worldwide. Founded to produce broadsheet quality journalism for the LGBT community, we cover politics to theology in an intelligent manner.